Coach and Dyson are just two of the recent additions in the Alibaba Anti-counterfeiting Alliance (AACA) that seeks to track down and capture counterfeiters of international brands showcased in global markets.
According to Xinhua, Alibaba has received a wave of support from over 130 brands that share the Chinese online retail behemoth's goals of reducing, if not completely eradicating, the activities of counterfeiters who use international brand names for their own profit.
Dyson is a British tech firm that works on manufacturing household appliances while Coach is the popular American luxury brand that produces a wide array of fashion accessories including handbags, wallets, backpacks, and more.
So far, the AACA has helped close down 524 fake production plants and has also helped in the capture of 1,227 suspects involved in counterfeiting cases. An estimated 3.6 billion in fake goods have also been seized as part of the alliance's efforts in keeping fake produce out of the global markets.
AACA members work together to provide firms with proactive online monitoring as well as offline enforcement and investigations to spur action against potential counterfeiting activities that endanger authentic businesses.
Last week, Alibaba Senior Vice President Michael Yao said that AACA will continue to use the company's technology in helping industry leaders combat fake goods problems. "Over the past two years, we have used our technology and data to strengthen the fight against counterfeits. The AACA is now the benchmark and model for brand protection in China and around the world," he noted.
During the AACA second year anniversary conference in Shanghai on Thursday, over 300 people from 16 countries attended the meeting. Most of the attendees represented AACA member brands while others were law enforcement experts.
Company Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Michael Kors, Krista McDonough, said the fashion brand is "pleased" to have become a member of the Alibaba alliance. McDonough added that the brand will work with the alliance to implement the necessary intellectual property (IP) rights that will keep infringers from stealing the company's goods.
German industrial manufacturing brand, Siemens, is also among the latest global firms that joined the AACA following the release of a report that stated the coalition has started setting the bar for IP protection rights in global terms.
Industry analysts pointed out that the AACA has opened doors for more brand protection professionals in the Chinese market and global industries to step up efforts in protecting their names and brands so consumers won't have access to low-quality products and businesses will have more chances of gaining profits.
